Electrically-wound clock.



PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

A. DE VOS. RICA NoA 872,909

LLY W0 UND CLOCK.

ELECT APPLICATION FILED SBPT.10,1S6.

entran eiserne earner crimen.

RIE DE VOS, OI? MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, .ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T() S. S, STILL, OF DES MOINES, IOWA.

ELE CTRICALLY-WOUND CLOCK.

Specification ofrLe'tters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application led September I0. 1905. Serial Ilo. 333.951.

olis, in the county of Hennepin and State "of "-Minneseta-,mhave invented a certain new and useful Electriczrlly-Vound Clock, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention 'is to provide means of simple, durable and inexpensive construction which a current from an electric battery may be intermittently emp loyed to raise weights for continuously actde-ting a clock work mechanism and to pro'- fivigie means whereby one of two weights will lalways remain in an elevated position to avoid the possibility of the clock work mechanism stopping when one ol" the weights is being elevated, and further to provide an electric contact device by which the contact is automatically broken by the weights in the event that,the armature is not moving toward the magnet, when one of the weights is at its lower limit of movement.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby thc objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure .1 sho-ws a top or plan view ol" a part of a clock work mechanism with my improvements applied thereto, and, Fig. 2 shows a side elevation ot same with a part oi" the frame work removed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have usedthe reference numeral 1() to indicateI tho frann` and 11 to indicato one ol" a train ol" pinions for the purpose of illus-v clock work mechtrating conveniently a anism. Mounted in the tramo 1() is a rotatable shaft `12 upon which are fixed two ratchet wheels 13 and 14 arranged with their teeth in staggered position relativo to each other as illustrated in Fig. 2. Fixed to vthe same shaft is a pinion 15 in mosh with the pinion 11.. lotatably mounted upon said shaft 12 are two levers 1G and 17, cach provided with a spring actuated paw] 1H and 19 respectively in engagenwnt with the adjacent ratchet wheels 1.3 and 14, said lovers arc pro.- vided with weights 2() and 21 respectively. Stops 22 and 23 are provided for limiting the upward movement of the weights. Pivoted vwas comparatively Vweak.

to the levers 16 and 17 are the links 24 and 25provided with slots 26 and 27. Mounted in the frame 10 is an armature 28 pivotally supported on the bearing points 29 and 30 and having the arms 31 and 32 provided respectively with screws 33 and 34, which screws pass through the slots in the hangers 24 and 25. On the armature 28 on the side lof the pivotal point opposite from the arms 31 and 32 is an arm 35 to which a pawl 36 is pivoted, which pawl is provided with a tooth 37 and a projection 38 which serves as a contact point. 'f

The numeral rotatably su ported on the bearing 40 and provided wit a spring actuated detent 41 arranged to prevent its rotation in one' direction. A spring 42 normally holds the 39 indicates a ratchet wheel i tooth 37 of the pawl 35 in engagement with said ratchet wheel 39. l,

` The numeral 42a indicates a contact late mounted in the insulating block 43, which block has its face above the contact plate 42EL lushwith said contact plate.

The electro magnet is indicated by the numeral 44 and the electric battery by the numeral 45.v The battery is connected with the electro-magnet by the conductor' 46 and this conductor in turn connectswith the contact plate 42a. Another conductor 47 iS connected to the pawl 36 and also to the battery forming a complete circuit when the pawl 46 is in engagement with Contact plate 42a. y

. In practical operation and assumingr the parts to be in therposition shown in Fig. 2, the electric current is broken, because the pawl-SG engages the insulatirw block 43, the weights 2() and 21 will. boti descend by gravity until the lower one 21 is in such po sition that the link 25 thereon will engage the armature and elevate it. If the battery is comparatively strong, the weight will be elevated higher than though the battery Therefore, in some instances, the pawls 18 and 19 will move over two `teeth of their ratchet wheels 13 and 14 and at other times they will move` only one'V tooth space. 'IIowever, under no circumstances can they both reach their downward limit at the same time, on' account of the staggered arrangement'of ythe teeth on the ratchet wheels, therefore, the

clock-work mechanism will never be reiff" quickly i5 and the plate 42a.

2o weight 20, the slots in the by the weight 21,

tardcd on account of the ment ci both weights. During this movement the 'tooth 37 will engage the adjacent tooth ci thev ratchet wheel 39 d of said pawl will be forcedoutwardly a yirom contact plate 4:2a and downwardly until the next notch between the gteeth oftheratchet wheel 39 is reachedby the tooth 37, whereupon the vspring 42' will throw the pawl 36 into contact with the plate 42a and 'lirmly maintainv said contact. This will cause the electro magnet to be energized and the armature. will; be quickly drawn downwardly' to the magnet pawl 36 raised to a point where it passes beyond and out' of contact with the During this movement of the armature toward the magnehthe weight 2l has been. elevated to. a point above the permitting said movement. The next move# ment of the armature will be that ca-used by the weight 2O,l elevating the armature in the same manner as it was previously elevated By arranging the two weights relative to one armature in such manner that it is impossible for both of thein to be at their lower or upper limit of their movement, at the same time, it wih be 3o seent-hat the `clock work mechanism will not stop .at the time the weight is at its lower .imit of movement and before it is elevated by the armature. Furthermore by the construction and arrangementv4 of the contact breaking and establishing device,

move' the armature to the clock work mechanism Vcannot stop in such yposition that the contact is established, because the weight of the4 armature itself and rthe pressure oi" the spring 42 both 4o tend. to throw the p awl 36 to the position shown in l? ig.- 2, where the contact is broken. .By means of the construction shown, the contact is established only for the smallest possible space of time, that is required to its magnet and is broken soon as this vis accomplished. This result is a great saving in thev amount of electric current used and consequently the ordinary ha tteries used for this purpose will last and retain their eiliciency for a comparatively long time and the clock work mech- Aanisrnwill run regularly and evenly, because there is a constant pressure u on it by one or the other of the weights alof the time without regard. to the time when one of the weights is being moved upwardly.

Having thus described my invention, what, l claim andr desire'to secure .by Letters'lat'- .ent of the United States, therefor iS-c An electrically wound clock, the combination olfl an electro-magnet, an armature movable to and from the magnet, a weight upward moveelevated and the lower links .24' and 25 bya movement of the armature toward themagnet, said weight during its descent moving the armature away from the magnet, a contact plate and a contact. arm both included in a circuit with the electromagnet and means for moving the contact point across the face of the contact plate out of contact therewith during the movement of the armature away from the magnet and then into contact with' the plate before the. end'oi said movement of the armature is reached, said contact'arm being also moved out of contact with the said plate when the armature reaches ward the magnet.

2; In an electrically wound clock, the combination of an electro-magnet, a pivoted armature, an arm pivoted to the armature and formed with a tooth and with. a contact point', a contact plate, an insulator above tue contact plate, a,pivoted ratchet wheel, a spring actuated pawlvin engagement there with and a spring for holding the pivoted arm with its tooth in engagement with the ratchet wheel,A an electric circuit including the electro-magnet, the contact plate and the contact arm.-

3. In an electrically wound clock, the combination. of an electro-magnet, an armature movable to and from the magnet, an arm carried by the armature and formed with va tooth and with a contact point, a contact plate in the path of the said contact point, said contact point at one limit of its move# ment being out of engagement with the contact'plate, a notched wheel to be engaged by the tooth of said arm, said wheel arranged to cause the arm to move to position out ci contact with the contact plate during "part of its movement and then into contact with the plate during another part o1c its movement.

l. In an electrically wound clock, the combination of a rotatable shaft, two ratchet wheels fixed to the shaft with their teeth in staggered positions two weighted levers rotatably mounted upon the shalt, pawls carried by the levers and in engagement with the ratchet wheels, an electro-magnct, an armawhere they would be positively moved by the armature'and the connecting means and to permit independent upward movement of each lever.

AltlE DE VOS.` Witnesses: i y l F. E. QUIsT, FLORENCE l`. KELLY.

its limit of movement to- 

